Auburn, Nov. 28--Just like other immigrants who preceded them, Alabama’s emerging Hispanic/Latino population will make positive and lasting contributions into the state’s economic and social life, but like all newcomers, they will need help assimilating to their new surroundings, says one expert.

Above: Dr. Diego Gimenez, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System's Hispanic/Latino coordinator, right, presents Extension Interim Director Dr. Gaines Smith with Spanish- and English-language copies of Alabama Governor Don Siegelman's recent proclamation designating November, 2001 as Hispanic Community Recognition Month. 

"Hispanic/Latino immigrants will play a vital role in Alabama’s cultural and economic life – in fact, they already are," says Dr. Diego Gimenez, and Alabama Cooperative Extension System animal scientist who also serves as Extension’s Hispanic/Latino coordinator. "But the faster their integration into mainstream life takes place, the quicker all of us will begin reaping these benefits."

Like all newcomers, Hispanic/Latinos face the usual challenges of learning a new language and adapting to a new culture.

Acquiring language skills, Gimenez says, is especially crucial, because without them, Hispanics faces serious cultural and economic handicaps.

"Basically, in Alabama, there are two groups of Hispanics," Gimenez says. "There are the visible ones with proper documentation who are usually able to secure a job, open a bank account and obtain medical care and the invisible ones who lack these papers."

Individuals who lack proper documentation are often hard-pressed, he says, because they are often unable to obtain many of the most basic necessities of life.

"It’s often one of the biggest obstacles to their incorporation into the mainstream," Gimenez says, "because if you are unable to get a driver’s license or social security number, you can’t get a job or receive medical care."

The lack of documentation poses especially serious disadvantages for many Hispanic/Latino young people, in spite of their attempts to excel in school and life.

"In Alabama, teachers and counselors don’t ask whether or not a student has papers," Gimenez says. "Unfortunately, the lack of documentation can be a major problem even for young people who excel in high school and then try to enroll in a junior college or university, because suddenly all of the doors to a good job and a better life are slammed shut."

Medical care is an especially critical need among many immigrants, Gimenez says. And while some of these needs are being served by publicly funded clinics, thousands of newcomers still lack even basic health care.

Alabama’s schools systems also face an acute shortage of Spanish teachers and others specializing in teaching English as a second language.

This, Gimenez says, explains why public agencies such as the Cooperative Extension System are redoubling efforts to help Hispanic/Latinos assimilate into the mainstream.

For their part, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and other Extension offices around the country are providing a wide array of Spanish-language educational materials dealing with issues such as how to obtain proper medical care, how to shop wisely and how to care for many of life’s basic needs.

Extension agents throughout Alabama already are providing these materials to Hispanic/Latino clients who need help assimilating into Alabama’s cultural life.

Working with Gina Bailey McKell, executive director of the Governor’s Office on National and Community Service and Hernan Prado, chief executive officer of the Alabama Latin American Association, Extension and other agencies are focusing more attention on the expanding roles Hispanic/Latinos play in the state’s social and economic life.

Recently, Alabama Governor Don Siegelman signed a proclamation recognizing November 2001 as Hispanic Community Recognition Month in order to "celebrate the contributions and rich culture of the Hispanic community."

"Without these partnerships and the governor’s close cooperation, a focused, coordinated effort toward assisting Hispanic assimilation into Alabama’s cultural and economic life would have been far more difficult," Gimenez says.

Hispanic/Latinos comprise by far the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States. In fact, 95 percent of American counties reported an increase in Hispanic populations within the past decade.

Since 1990 the Hispanic community in Alabama has grown 207 percent. There are an estimated 15,166 families of Hispanic origin that represent more than 23 different countries. They include professionals, farmers, forestry workers, construction workers, fishermen and craftsmen.